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GATEKEEPER Device
GATEKEEPER Device was a codename assigned to a secretive weapons development programme run by The Royal Allegiance. History During the Forerunner-Flood War, the Forerunners exhausted various strategic options before finally activating the rings. While the Halos were the only 'last resort' measure of their kind, they were not the first venture of their type, of destroying sentient life withing a certain radius. The Forerunners had experimented with various smaller-scale weapons that functioned just as the Halos did, these not intended for future up scaling but themselves for use against the Flood. These smaller devices, essentially miniature 'Halos', were used on a tactical level, as opposed to the heavily strategic level of the Halos. The devices were used in battle against the Flood, often to sterilise a planet or system and prevent the Flood taking its population. However, the idea of these weapons as tactical options was quickly sidelined, and the working devices technically became downscaled prototypes, for what would eventually become the last resort strategic measure that was the Halo Array. In 2356, technical plans for the device were found in a Forerunner computer terminal deep within Avalon's subterranean levels. Upon later inspection it was revealed that the device was essentially a far smaller version of the Halos, and it was concluded, probably a prototype or experiment of some sort. The weapon was codenamed GATEKEEPER, and the plans were given to CHARON, the Allegiance's Institute of Military Research and Development. However, there was little demand for the weapons, which occupied a niche unlike any other weapons fielded at that time. By 2550 only three had been constructed and, although they saw successful usage in the battles with the Covenant between 2553 and 2559, they were denied additional funding to carry out more widespread usage. The project was shelved and forgotten about, just one of hundred of military research, development and procurement projects that fell victim to huge spending cuts following the Human-Covenant War. It was not until more than two centuries later, around 2800, that the weapon was revisited and looked upon more favourably. The Allegiance was losing worlds at a precipitous rate, and in need of anything that could give them the upper hand in the war. The device was refined and, within a decade, one standard ship per battlegroup was equipped with the GATEKEEPER Device, in addition to the battlegroup's stealth vessel which was also commonly found with the weapon. They were used to great extent during the remainder of the war, where they stemmed the damage from the massive numbers of Swarm naval forces. Technical Details Usage Known Models *MWX02 GATEKEEPER Mk VI- This was the first version of the device and the most widespread. It had a range of around 100 million kilometres, and was issued to one vessel in each battlegroup. Though there were other versions of the GATEKEEPER device, none were as widespread and the design had little room for refinement. *MX04 GATEKEEPER Mk VII- This device was specialised for stealth vessels, optimised for operating withing stealth conditions. It had a range of 20 million kilometres, and was extremely useful for covertly destroying large numbers of enemies. In addition to use on stealth vessels it was able to be used by small warships, such as the Aurora-class Light Frigate.